Fox Valley Criminal Lawyers

Steve McCollum has extensive experience in Criminal, DUI, and Juvenile cases, including 16 years as a prosecutor and 20 years as a defense attorney. Formerly the Chief Deputy State's Attorney for Lake County, Steve is a member of the Board of the Lake County Bar Foundation, the past President of the Lake County Bar Association, and has been the Chairperson of the Criminal Law Committee for the Bar Association. He was previously selected by the Illinois Supreme Court to the screening committee for the Capital Litigation Trial Bar for the 19th Judicial Circuit. As an Assistant State's Attorney and...

-Former Assistant State's Attorney in Lake County from 2001 through 2004;
-Associate in private law firm from 2004 through 2014 practicing criminal defense, real estate law/closings and local village prosecutor for two municipalities;
-Partner in former law firm of Nutschnig & Cavanaugh Attorneys at Law P.C. from 2014 through 2019
-Current president and founder of the Law Offices of Jeffery J. Nutschnig LLC
-Almost 20 years legal experience;
-Member of the Lake County BAR Association;
-Illinois State Bar Association member;
-Member/Counselor of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois;
-Honest and truthful legal representation;

Mr. Reeder fights for his clients bringing over 15 years of defending persons charged with violating the law to serve his clients. Mr. Reeder is a graduate of the University of Illinois College of Law and has a Bachelor of Arts in History and Philosophy. Mr. Reeder coached youth football for five years, participated in the American Pool Association, and founded a charity softball games between attorneys and the police department in Joliet which helped raise almost $3000.00 to help feed children in Will County.

Mr. Reeder served five years as an Assistant Public Defender in Will County at the felony,...

Former Will County prosecutor with over 25 years experience within the Will County court system. Past chairman of the criminal law committee of the Will County Bar Association. Capital litigation lead counsel certified by the Illinois Supreme Court.

Mr. Gebhardt has extensive experience in the fields of criminal, traffic and real estate law. He has worked for the Cook County States Attorneys Office as a prosecutor and has broad experience in all facets of real estate law in Illinois.

An Evanston criminal defense attorney is competent, experienced, and ready to take on your case and fight for your rights! If you have been accused of committing a crime, you need the support of a lawyer you can count on, and you can have that confidence when you come to Pfeifer & Pfeifer, Attorneys at Law. Attorney Jeremy Pfeifer attended IIT/Chicago-Kent College of Law, where he earned his law degree. He is a member of the Chicago Bar Association and the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and he is well equipped to take on your case and support you...

The Law Offices of Michael P. Schmiege was founded by Attorney Schmiege, who is devoted to the practice of criminal defense alone. When an individual retains the representation of the firm, Mr. Schmiege works tirelessly to prepare the strongest defense possible. He will not hesitate to challenge any federal investigation or evidence brought forth by the prosecution. For more information about working with a Chicago criminal lawyer, do not wait to contact the firm! Mr. Schmiege is known for taking cases that no one else will take and winning the "unwinnable" cases against all odds.

Eric J. Blatti was born in the Joliet area and has since remained closely connected with the local community. After graduating from Joliet Township High School, he received his Associate’s Degree in Arts from Joliet Junior College. He continued his education and graduated cum laude from Lewis University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. Eric then attended the Thomas M. Cooley Law School in Lansing, MI., where he earned his way onto the Dean’s List and was awarded his Juris Doctor in January of 2008. Eric began interning for the Will County Public Defender’s Office in April of 2007....

David B. Franks is a highly effective Criminal Attorney, Driving Under the Influence (DUI) Lawyer and Traffic Defense Attorney who has practiced criminal law since being admitted to the Illinois Bar in 1989. Mr. Franks has more than fifteen years of criminal prosecution and defense experience. Mr. Franks served as an Assistant State’s Attorney in both Cook County and McHenry County, Illinois. In McHenry County he served four years as a prosecutor in the Misdemeanor and Felony Divisions. He served as one of the first two designated Domestic Battery Prosecutors in McHenry County, as well as the Misdemeanor and Traffic...

Scott W. Brammer grew up in Crystal Lake, Illinois. He attended Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington, Illinois, where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science. After graduating from the University of South Dakota School of Law in 1992, where he earned his Juris Doctor degree, Mr. Brammer was admitted to practice law in the State of Illinois. That same year, he was also admitted to practice in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Scott has spent over 30 years as an attorney in McHenry concentrating on Family Law, Residential and...

Mr. Benison earned his Juris Doctorate degree from the John Marshall Law School in Chicago. While attending Law School, Mr. Benison achieved the JMLS best oralist award for his participation in the 2L Herzog Moot Court Competition. He was selected for a student externship with the Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office during his final year of law school. Prior to entering Law School, Mr. Benison was in private practice as an accountant, working with local business in Northern Illinois. In his free time, Mr. Benison enjoys spending time with his wife, Erika, and their three children.

Born and raised in Joliet, Illinois, Todd has been surrounded by legal role models his entire life. His father, the Honorable Joseph C. Polito (retired) built a highly successful legal practice in Will County before being appointed as an Associate Judge in the Twelfth Judicial Circuit, Will County, which gave Todd the opportunity to regularly interact with many of his father’s colleagues and fueled his passion for the legal profession at a young age.

Todd served in the United States Navy for four years, earning the prestigious Naval Achievement medal before being honorably discharged. Upon returning to civilian life, Todd built...

I've been a trial lawyer for over 30 years. I graduated from Yale and NYU Law School, and my legal career began as a criminal prosecutor in New York City. Then I moved to Chicago and became a partner with a mid-sized litigation firm for 10 years, receiving litigation training from some of the best trial lawyers in the city. I opened my current law office in Chicago in 1998. In addition to practicing law full time, I've also been teaching trial skills to practicing lawyers every year since 1994 as a faculty member with The National Institute for Trial...

Henry B. Samuels is a member of Samuels & Bernstein in Highland Park, Illinois. He has a wide ranging practice and represents clients in a wide variety of litigation matters before Federal and State Courts as well as administrative agencies. With over 30 years of experience, Mr. Samuels has achieved tremendous results both at trial and through settlement. Mr. Samuels criminal practice includes representation of clients charged with Felonies, DUI’s, Misdemeanors, Traffic and Ordinance Violations. His areas of concentration include but are not limited to representing individuals in civil litigation matters, residential and commercial real estate transactions, and small businesses...

Paul Gentile has been practicing law for over 30 years. He started his career working for the leading law firm Baker and McKenzie. He served as an Assistant State's Attorney in the traffic, misdemeanor, and felony division for seven years, where he handled over a thousand drunk driving, hit and run, driving while revoked or suspended, misdemeanors, domestic violence, assault, weapons, drugs and countless other crimes. He established his general practice in Orland Park, Illinois in 1987. He expanded his practice to include family law. Over the course of his career, there are not many types of...

Wayne Johnson is a partner at Johnson & Johnson, Ltd. He has been practicing law for over 35 years, and his practice focuses primarily on family law, criminal law, bankruptcy law, estate law, and real estate matters. He has conducted numerous trials and court hearings involving large marital estates and complex child custody issues.

The foundation of effective legal representation is a strong underlying attorney-client relationship. I engage with clients with one intention in mind: the best possible outcome for each client. I build a relationship of understanding and trust with each client from the very first consultation. Aggressive representation requires a thorough investigation of the facts. I work diligently to craft the strongest possible defense, including collection and thorough review of supporting material such as discovery from the prosecution, interviews of any witnesses, and gathering of transcripts, documents, video footage or any other material. Armed with a robust understanding of the unique facts...

I am Thomas Eric Ost. As a former Assistant Public Defender in DuPage County, I handled hundreds of criminal, mental health, and juvenile cases. Those cases ranged from DUIs, Domestic Batteries, and Retail Thefts to Aggravated Batteries and Murder. The police and the prosecutors seem to do their best to dehumanize defendants to everyone including to the defendants themselves. Yet in 23 years of practice, I’ve learned that most people with legal problems are not bad people. They are people who are caught up in a problem a lot bigger than they...

For over 4 decades, Northbrook family law attorney Alan Pearlman has been helping families in Chicagoland and Lake County through difficult times in divorce and other family law matters, as well as Criminal and Complex DUI and Traffic matters. Our office concentrates on finding hidden assets in High Profile Divorce cases, while at the same time helping couples complete a dissolution of marriage through trial or a negotiated settlement agreement, and attending to all the important issues in their divorce matter, including child custody and visitation, child support, spousal maintenance and the division of marital property. Alan Pearlman, Ltd....

Amanda Waechter is an experienced and professional criminal defense attorney who can help you. She will listen to you, fight for you and be with you through every step of your criminal or traffic case. Amanda can also help you clear your criminal record.

Whether my clients require someone to represent them in matters of medical malpractice, personal injury, or criminal defense, I believe in providing each person with the highest quality of legal representation.

After having received my Doctor of Law (JD) from The John Marshall Law School, I spent several years as an Assistant State’s Attorney.

Over the last 20 years, I have built my practice based on the referral of other lawyers and clients. I have received many honors and awards throughout my career, most notably the Martindale-Hubbell’s “AV® Preeminent™” rating, which is the highest peer review rating in professional ethics and...

The Ivec Law firm was founded in 2004 by JohnPaul Ivec with the purpose of providing superior legal representation. JohnPaul Ivec successfully represents clients, from petty offenses to super-X felonies, with an innovative, client-centered advocacy which is focused on results. JohnPaul gained extensive trial experience from his work as a prosecutor with the Will County State's Attorney and as a clerk with the Illinois State Appellate Public Defender. A distinct advantage for his clients, JohnPaul is able to draw from his legal training the University of Michigan, one of the nation's elite law...

Daniel D. Hinich received his B.A. from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana and his J.D. from the John Marshall Law School in Chicago. He was admitted to the Illinois bar in 1991. Mr. Hinich worked as a staff attorney with the Chicago Legal Clinic after law school helping clients with cases in traffic, real estate, divorce, bankruptcy, wills & trust, landlord-tenant, contract, personal injury, worker’s compensation and of course criminal law. After the Clinic he joined the personal injury law firm of Timothy J. Touhy & Associates. In 1996, Mr. Hinich founded his own law firm which now...

Gerald Dietz received his undergraduate degree from the University of Illinois in 1996, and his Juris Doctor from John Marshall Law School in 1999. He was admitted to the Illinois Bar in 1999 and to the Wisconsin Bar in 2000. Mr. Dietz concentrates his practice on municipal law, townships, municipal prosecution, special districts, library and fire districts. He is also a member of the Chicago Bar Association; Illinois State Bar Association; Lake County Bar Association; and the Wisconsin Bar Association. Mr. Dietz is a Lieutenant with the Greater Round Lake Fire Protection District and has served as a...

Kevin Malia is an experienced, aggressive litigator with over twenty years of success in advocating for his clients. He has represented clients in numerous jury and bench trials, and successfully litigated countless contested motions . Kevin is a fighter who employs a principled and passionate approach to defending his client's rights in matters ranging from the most serious felonies to routine traffic matters.

Mr. Gaffney began his legal career in the prestigious field of clerking for a Federal judge. He went on as an Assistant State’s Attorney to prosecute complex narcotic and gang cases.
Afterwards, he went into private practice in Harvard, Illinois where he serves his clients in the areas of State and Federal criminal defense, school law, second amendment issues, and general litigation.

Mr. Gaffney is especially proud of his record in the areas of expungement, clemency, pardons and sealed records. Utilizing these legal avenues, he has helped countless clients move forward with their lives.

Phil Prossnitz has been practicing law since 1980 and specializes in criminal defense. He was Chief of the Criminal Division in McHenry County, Illinois before going into private practice in Woodstock, Illinois in 2000. He has handled 17 murder cases, thousands of felony drug cases and thousands of other felony, misdemeanor and DUI charges. He offers a free telephone consultation.

Jack C. Slingerland received a Juris Doctorate degree from Loyola University of Chicago School of Law.

Jack is the city Attorney for Genoa, IL. He has served as a DeKalb County Assistant State’s Attorney, as the DeKalb County Public Defender, and as an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Illinois. He served as a member of the legislative staff of the Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives, Michael J. Madigan.

Jack has been in private practice of law for more than 23 years, and now is the co-owner of Slingerland & Clark, P.C. He is admitted to practice in federal...

Criminal Defense attorney with over 14 years experience. Attorney Lex A. Johnson has handled hundreds of felony and misdemeanor cases. At the Law Office of Lex A. Johnson & Associates,P.C., we are dedictated to defending the rights of the criminally accused.

My name is James A. Payonk, Jr. I am a personal injury and criminal defense attorney with more than 25 years of legal experience. I am the founder of my law offices in Orland Park and Chicago, Illinois. I was born and raised on the south side of Chicago. I did my college undergraduate studies at DePaul University and obtained my law degree from The John Marshall Law School in Chicago. My family and I have lived in the southwest suburbs of Chicago for thirty years. I am a member of the Federal trial bar of the United States District Court. I...

Attorney Kamran Memon has been practicing law in the Chicagoland area since 1997. He has successfully represented many clients in a variety of legal matters. Mr. Memon graduated from the University of Chicago Law School. He works with a trusted network of attorneys who are experienced and skilled in a variety of legal areas.

My law firm is dedicated to defending the rights, freedoms and liberties of my clients, 24/7. I represent my clients in a variety of criminal cases, ranging from minor misdemeanors to very serious felony charges. I am passionate and very hard working and enjoy doing whatever I can do to vigorously defend my clients in court.

After working for Edward R.Vrdolyak Ltd.and the Vrdolyak Law Group LLC.for close to 40 years it was time for me to do some things I've always wanted to do.In sterting my own practice I hope to use my vast experience in Alternative Dispute Resolution.

Upon receipt of his law degree and accreditation to the practice of law, Mr. Randall quickly became the trusted adviser on multiple large felony cases. His early successes with felony representation earned him high profile cases, defending clients in the realm of predatory criminal sexual assault, drug induced homicide and child pornography.

The Law Offices of Evan E. Randall continues to provide the highest level of criminal defense services to those charged with a crime in the McHenry County area. Whether the charges are misdemeanor domestic battery, assault, or drug induced homicide, each client can expect to have their case handled...